Things to remember when she’s a teenager

Lana has reached a point in her life where she is ridiculously cute and fun to be around. Everyday she does something that makes me laugh and marvel at this amazing little person that John and I have created. I would rather spend time playing with her than almost anything, and that includes sleeping late or eating chocolate cheesecake.

The only downside of all this cuteness is that I frequently worry we have reached the point of maximum fun – a peak in the Gantt chart of mother/daughter bliss that will slowly decline until the day she becomes a teenager and responds to all my questions with an eye roll and dramatic sigh. It can happen, just ask my poor Mom.

It is this concern that drives me to document and commit to memory every adorable moment of this wonderful stage in her life. These are the things I never want to forget:

• The way her face lights up and she says, “Heeeey!” when she sees me.


• The way she reaches for my hand when she needs support.


• The way she crinkles her nose when she laughs.


• The way she wraps her arms around my legs and buries her face in them when she’s feeling shy.


• The way she adores my singing.


• The way she offers her most cherished possession, her bunny blanket, to children she meets.


• The way she makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.